Abstract: Recent developments in computer technology have made possible a new kind of performance ontology in which the symbiosis of

• performance

• instrument

• equipment

• computer

• technologist

• space

results in an emergent entity, the “meta-instrumentalist”. This presentation will examine this phenomenon from the perspective of flute performance. The discussion includes reference to several works for flute and electronics that demonstrate encounters with the “meta-flautist”. Recorded audio and video material will exemplify flute with amplification; flute with interactive technology activated by gesture; and interactivity activated by pitch and threshold. Central issues within the aesthetics of music such as

• the relationship of score to performance

• the role of the score in determination of the musical work

• the ontology of the musical work

will be addressed during an examination of the role of notation in electro-acoustic performance. Performer-audience dynamics are also reconfigured within the context of “meta-instrumentalism.”

Please note that Jean Penny will also be speaking in Esbjerg at AAUE on September 13; Google-calendar entry for Esbjerg HERE.

Thursday, September 23, 2010, 3-5 p.m. in U73. Guest lecture.

Computer-Assisted Creativity: Help or Hindrance to the Composer?

Dr. Barry Eaglestone, Senior Lecturer, U of Sheffield, UK (Retired).

Abstract: Computer technology has become a well established tool for composers and sonic artists. In particular, it has been shown to facilitate the creation, manipulation, organization and nuancing of sounds and other media, generated from an infinite pallet of possibilities. Conversely, information technology is arguably least effective when supporting the types of non-prescribed or unpredictable human activities which, after all, are characteristic of how artists work. This talk sifts through evidence relating to the above tension. This evidence has been gathered from a series of related research projects, including naturalistic studies of how composers use composition software and studies of the impact of individual differences among composers, cognitive style in particular, on related information tasks. Issues highlighted are: tensions between software engineering norms and creativity; the negative effect of a mismatch between interfaces and cognitive styles; and the difficulty in modeling the information generated, using conventional IT solutions. The talk concludes by speculating on how computer systems may be adapted to create more fertile environments for creativity, and suggests areas for further research.

Please note that Barry Eaglestone will also be speaking in Esbjerg at AAUE on September 20 and in Copenhagen at KU September 24. Google-calendar entry for Esbjerg HERE. Google-calendar entry for Copenhagen HERE.

Thursday, October 7, 2010, 2:30 p.m. in U43. Defense of the PhD dissertation

Playing by the Rules? A Philosophical Approach to Normativity and Coordination in Music Performance

by Søren R. Frimodt-Møller, PhD fellow, Institute for Philosophy, Education and the Study of Religions, University of Southern Denmark.

Abstract: Why is following rules so important for successful coordination processes and interpersonal relations in general? This project tries to answer this question in a discussion relativized to performing music ensembles. Applying modeling strategies from contemporary branches of epistemic logic and game theory, I show how following norms is a requirement for a musician who has the goal of reaching coordination with the rest of the group. The dissertation also provides a survey of theories regarding the normativity of a composition in relation to the music performance, and challenges these by highlighting the importance of the individual musician's interpretation of the performance norms.

Official invitation to the defense sent out on September 13 by the Institute for Philosophy, Education and the Study of Religions, University of Southern Denmark: HERE. For an invitation crafted by Søren R. Frimodt-Møller - in English - please see HERE. For those who use Facebook, there is an event page HERE

Embodying Music: Susanne K. Langer’s Ideas of ‘Living Form’ and Martin Buber's Notion of verwirchlichen As These Apply – Suitably Modified – to Contemporary Research on the Role of Gesture in the Formation of Musical Meaning.

Abstract: Both Susanne Langer and Martin Buber discussed artistic form and its significance-bearing potency in a vivid and dynamic fashion, and both included notions of embodiment in their analysis.

This presentation offers video footage of

1. a non-traditional classical-music performance workshop that incorporates group gestural exercises as a central and purposeful element in the quest for meaningful and insightful performance, Westney’s Un-Master Class. This workshop has been refined during more than a decade of presentations in conservatories and centers of music education on four continents;

2. laboratory work carried out in February 2010 at the FourM’s Lab at the University of Oslo, Norway, as part of a coordination meeting within NNIMIPA: Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics.

It is posited that in 1) and 2), the notion of artistic form is brought “to life” in ways that can be effectively analyzed from suitably modified Langerian and Buberian perspectives. For background material, please see www.nnimipa.org/JWG.html.

Thursday, November 11, 2010, 2-3 p.m. in U82. Guest lecture/seminar, part of the Theme Day: "Music for the People!", see HERE. (See also direcly below for another seminar that is part of the theme day. For the lunchtime concert which kicks off the theme day, please see http://soundmusicresearch.org/lunchtimeconcerts.html)

Be a Part of the Crowd; Join Glee Today! - Groups, Culture and the Glee of Show-Choir

Abstract: Being a “part of the crowd” is becoming increasingly important in today’s society. In Glee, this desire to fit in is what drives the characters of the show. We, as viewers, are given a window into the minds and insecurities of teenagers, and through this, a look at the popular/unpopular divide of high school. The group-dynamics of high school may be a caricature when portrayed on American television, but it is a caricature rooted in reality. The popular/unpopular duality is a part of group dynamics, no matter the age of the members.

Ryan Murphy, the creator of the dramedy hit-sensation Glee, has tried to blur the lines between popular and unpopular before, but this time, he has done it through song-and-dance-routines. That music is a great way to bind people together is a well-known fact, and the glee/musical tradition of America is the perfect tool forthe blurring of the lines that Murphy is known for.

The members of the Glee “group” are bound together through music, even though they do not have anything in common outside of glee club. But although the music of the glee club is what holds the members together and creates that group mentality, as in real life, the characters are mostly alone, and faced with the daunting task of creating an identity of their own, be it concerning gender, sexuality, race or social standing. Though individuals, the members of glee club finds empowerment, and by default the strength to be themselves, through the music that binds them together as a group; a kind of individuality through group-mentality.

The seminar is presented by The Philosophy Meets Popular Culture Initiative www.philpopculture.dk & NTSMB: Netværk for Tværvidenskabelige Studier af Musik og Betydning/Network for Cross-Disciplinary Studies of Music and Meaning www.ntsmb.dk.

Thursday, November 11, 2010, 3-5 p.m. in U73. Guest lecture/seminar, part of the Theme Day: "Music for the People!", see HERE. (See also direcly above for another seminar that is part of the theme day. For the lunchtime concert which kicks off the theme day, please see http://soundmusicresearch.org/lunchtimeconcerts.html)

The Beauty of Technical Imperfection: Choral Members´ Perceptions of Aesthetic Issues in Performance.

Abstract: This presentation is based on socio-musical research carried out on two English amateur choirs: a community choir in Southwest England and a Bach choir in the Greater London area. The research addresses the perceptions that amateur choristers have of aesthetic issues in music performances both from the perspective of the choristers as performers and as audience members.

This talk will examine the attitudes of amateur choristers towards the somewhat problematic evaluation of a ´good performance´ and what a good performance must deliver to the audience.

The extent to which amateur choristers regard a ´good performance´ as being dependent upon

musical / technical perfection

profundity of interpretation based on the performers‘ awareness of the historical/emotional/socio-musical context of the work

the extent to which the performers actually bond with the audience duing the performance in a more personal or intimate way

will be discussed.

The talk will conclude with an examination of the aesthetical boundaries separating professional from amateur music performances - as these boundaries are drawn with reference to the canonic values of the Western music tradition.

The seminar will be conducted in English and is presented by NNIMIPA: Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Peformance and Aesthetics, a NordForsk Research network, www.nnimipa.org and NTSMB: Network for Cross-Disciplinary Studies of Music and Meaning, www.ntsmb.dk.

Please note that Sigrún Lilja Einarsdóttir will also be speaking at the The Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Islandsgade 2, 5000 Odense C in Odense on Monday, November 8. For information about that presentation, please see HERE, as well as in Esbjerg at AAUE on Wednesday, November 10; please see HERE for information about the presentation in Esjberg.

Please see the following networks for additional information about activities within The Aesthetics of Music and Sound:

PLEASE NOTE: During the month of March 2015 and possibly extending into April/May 2015, heavy construction will be taking place on this website behind the scenes as it "migrates" to new editing software. Please be patient with us during this period if occasionally some pages take on a strange appearance, or if updating seems to be a bit erratic. All efforts will be made to maintain the integrity of the page with the schedule for the seminar series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound: Mostly Metal here, but it will nevertheless be a good idea also to keep an eye on our Facebook group here and the regularly occurring announcements of events on it during this period. Thank you for your patience!